Description

Two slash prediction handbooks commonly used in California do not use data from California. To test predictions of the handbooks in northeastern California, logging residues from commercially thinned young-growth stands were surveyed. Measured residues were compared to handbook predictions. Species represented were ponderosa pine, California white fir, California red fir, and Douglas-fir. Only for the 3- to 6-inch (7.62- to 15.2-cm) residue size class in ponderosa pine was the mean difference between predicted and measured loadings significantly different from zero. For the forest types and stand conditions sampled, the handbooks appear to predict residue amounts reasonably well. Managers who require greater accuracy for particular applications may need to adjust these predictions to account for local stand conditions and harvest practices.